Sea Buckthorn
Hippophae rhamnoides
also called seaberry
Fixes its own nitrogen and stands up to open, windy ground — you'll want gloves for the pruning and patience with the suckers.
Light Full sun, and it takes exposed sites better than most.
Water Very drought-tolerant once established.
Height 4 m
Spread 9 ft 10 in
Spacing 195 cm
Spacing & sowing
- Plant spacing
- 6 ft 5 in
- In-row spacing
- 6 ft 5 in
- Between rows
- 13 ft 1 in
- Square-foot density
- Not suited to SFG
Growing
- Type
- Shrub · Perennial
- Botanical family
- Mixed / other
- Sunlight
- Full sun, and it takes exposed sites better than most.
- Watering
- Very drought-tolerant once established.
- Feeding
- Rarely needed — it fixes its own nitrogen.
- Frost tolerant
- Yes
- Flowering
- April
- Pruning
- Prune in late winter, keep the suckers down, and wear gloves.
Through the year
- Mar–Apr Bud Break
- Apr–Jul Flowering
- Jul–Sep Fruit Set
- Sep–Nov Harvest
- Nov–Dec Leaf Fall
- Jan–Mar Leaf Fall
Companions
Wildflowers, Grasses, Clover
Pests & problems
- Generally trouble-free No notable pest or disease problems when grown in the right conditions — one of the easy ones.
The Cottage Garden Companion — the gardener's herbarium at cottagegardencompanion.com